Shri Jwala Ji Temple (Jwalamukhi)

श्री ज्वाला जी मंदिर

Location

Jwalamukhi, Himachal Pradesh

Darshan

05:00 – 22:00

Deity

🪔Maa Jwala Ji (Sati's tongue fell here)

Entry

Free entry

Open all days year-round. Navratri extended to midnight or beyond. Flames are visible 24/7 through the niches even when sanctum is closed.

Jwala Ji (also spelled Jwalamukhi) is one of the most revered Shakti Peeths in India, where it is believed that the tongue (Jivha) of Goddess Sati fell when Lord Vishnu dismembered her body with his Sudarshana Chakra to end Lord Shiva's grief. The goddess is not represented by any man-made idol — she manifests as nine eternally burning blue natural gas flames emerging directly from cracks in the earth. These undying flames are the "Jwala" (flames/fire) and the goddess herself. The temple is unique in all of India for worshipping a natural phenomenon as the supreme divine.

History

The temple's sanctity is referenced in the Mahabharata and other Puranic texts, making it one of the oldest living pilgrimage sites in north India. Emperor Akbar (Mughal, 16th century) visited and attempted to extinguish the flames by channeling canal water over them — the flames could not be quenched. Awed, Akbar offered a golden canopy (chhattar/chhatra) over the main flame. Tradition holds that the gold was miraculously transformed into a base metal overnight (appears today as tin or copper-colored) — a divine sign of the goddess's sovereignty over human arrogance. The canopy remains in the temple to this day, known as "Akbar's Canopy" (Akbar ka Chhatra), and is one of the most discussed artifacts in Shakti Peeth lore. The temple has been maintained and renovated by various hill kings (Rajput chiefs of Kangra) and the HP government.